Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Review and Giveaway of Pointe by Brandy Colbert

Because today is my birthday, I've decided to review an upcoming release I loved, and give a copy away to one lucky blog reader.

Theo is better now.

She's eating again, dating guys who are almost appropriate, and well on her way to becoming an elite ballet dancer. But when her oldest friend, Donovan, returns home after spending four long years with his kidnapper, Theo starts reliving memories about his abduction—and his abductor.

Donovan isn't talking about what happened, and even though Theo knows she didn't do anything wrong, telling the truth would put everything she's been living for at risk. But keeping quiet might be worse.

(Summary from GoodReads)

Pointe is one of the best books I've
read in 2014 so far and is a book that made me incredibly proud to be an avid
read of young adult fiction. It's the type of book that you'll read in a
sitting or two and take so much away from.Colbert tackles a lot of tough subject matter in her debut, yet it never
feels like too much.

Theo is not a conventionally likable character, and a lot
of people may consider not finishing this book because of that.Some of the choices she makes about who
spends her time with are a little painful to read about, but the thought
process Theo went through in order to make her decisions always felt genuine to
me.If you pick up this book, it needs
to be read to the very end, because it's
largely about Theo's emotional and sexual development.The reader watches Theo learn to make her own
decisions and the best part is that even though Colbert gives us a concrete
ending to the story, it’s clear that Theo’s story isn’t over.

Colbert nails her prose and her
atmosphere throughout this entire story.I was really impressed by how ballet was woven into the story as a
whole.It was the perfect reminder that Theo had a life outside of the bad things that happened to her, but also that those bad things could permeate so deeply. Throughout the story, we see how
Theo interacts with Ruthie, who’s a weird mixture of competition and friend,
and their relationship was handled perfectly.It was just the right balance of mean girls, awkwardness, and
compassion.Other details are nicely
woven in that make this more genuine—Theo and her friends smoke pot, and that’s
just that. It’s something real teenagers do, and it was nice to see Colbert
address every day aspects of teenage life in a way that felt non-judgmental.

Pointe had me weepy eyed and
thinking "Damn" just about the entire time I was reading. It is an important
book, yet not didactic. It's a story that I hope lots of people read and discuss
over and over again.Colbert has given
us an exceptional debut that will inspire passionate feelings and discussion
while leaving us all yearning for more from her.

Disclosure: I borrowed an ARC of this book from a friend and plan to buy a hardcover soon.

****

I like spreading the love, so I've decided to give one hardcover of Pointe away to one of you. Here are the rules:

*One winner will receive a hardcover of Pointe by Brandy Colbert. The winner will receive his or her copy of the book by April 17th.

I know I just told you this, but happy birthday!! Also, I so appreciate how vague your review is because I want to go in completely blank but I also wanted to know what you thought about it, so good job! I seriously can't wait to read this one.

I've been looking forward to this book forever and I'm so excited I'll finally get to read it. I feel like this one will affect me the same way it affected you. I'm excited (and maybe a little scared) to read it.

This review perfectly summed up the book. I just finished it last night and was waiting to read your thoughts until I was done and you nailed it. Also I really liked Theo and felt bad for her. Her self worth was just horrible. I definitely recommend this book.

This book sounds fantastic. When I was younger I read every book I could get my hands on that had dance in it, and I still feel that way not. But I'm interested because it sounds like it's much more than just dance.

I finished Pointe this weekend & couldn't wait to read your review today. Woo. I agree with you on everything and I'm still falling over myself with how utterly remarkable the writing was. I liked Theo a lot, and I related to so many of her feelings that it was almost painful. The journey she went on this book was so subtly done & I'm not sure how to write a review of it so I'm glad that you did. haha. Because this means I can too! YAY